What drives the divorce rate in 2018?

It used to be said that as much as 50 percent of all marriages would end. That percentage is no longer quite so high. Some sources say that the drop in the divorce rate occurred due to the fact that not as many college students are getting married. For many Kentucky readers, the question may then become what drives the divorce rate.

For many years now, research has shown that the number of baby boomers (those ranging in age from 51 to 69) ending their marriages has increased significantly. Out of every 50 marriages of people age 50 and older, 10 ended in divorce as of 2015. According to information gathered in 2015, the divorce rate for couples over the age of 65 has nearly tripled since 1990. Some would think this means that the divorce rate would be even higher than 50 percent overall, but that would be wrong.

Younger generations are marrying an average of four years later than couples in previous decades. In addition, the number of couples ranging in age from 25 to 39 who divorce has dropped in recent decades. As the rate of baby boomer divorces has increased, the rate of divorce among younger generations such as the millennials has dropped, which could explain why the overall divorce rate has dropped.

In spite of the drop in the overall divorce rate for the country, many couples still end their marriages. Fortunately, even the way that people tackle their divorce issues is changing since many more couples tend to take advantage of alternatives to the traditional, adversarial process. For those Kentucky couples who do not want to end their marriages with a court battle, it may be worthwhile to discuss the less contentious options with a family law attorney.